Developing Master Teachers

Wow, I have learned so much in the last few months.  Everyday I think about the changes I want to make in my class this fall.  Thanks Docs!!!!!!!!!!!

The Integrated Unit

The journey this summer has been very interesting once I got the hang of it.  I just know our teaching will really improve if we can get the other teachers to join us. 

Investigating ArtNC Site

In our Social Studies curriculum. we teach regions, which can be hard for kindergarten students.  There was a lesson on the three regions of North Carolina which could be connected to our integrated unit. I like using our state to show the different regions so that students can have some understanding of where in North Carolina they live.  I would use the art work from the three regions to guide children's knowledge about our state and our community.  I would like for the student  to make a rubbing of the state of North Carolina and its regions.  After the rubbings are made, we could put the crops grown in our region.  This could be used in our integrated unit to show what we grow today in eastern North Carolina.  There was another picture about tobacco farming that could spark a discussion about health issues.


http://ncmoa.org/artnc/lesson.php?lessonPlanid=35y. 

Exploring Community History

Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies by Melber and Hunter has given me some awesome ideas for the integrated unit we are planning. Today more than at any other time, I believe that children need a since of community both in and out of the classroom.  Connecting to the community can help build citizenship and give children a sense of  belonging.  So often children do not have a personal knowledge about the community in which they live.  I have chosen strategy 6, exploring community history as one of the aspect I would like to investigate with kindergarten children.  Learning about the history of our community ties us to the past as well as the present and the future.  Just looking through the resources about farming in Murfreesboro years ago, can give us some insight as to why we are still a farming community.  It will give us the opportunity to examine how farming was a part of the community in years past and how farming has changed yet, still is apart of our community today.  The resources at our backdoor can offer so much to the children of Hertford County.  One of the activities that I would like to include in our unit is farming photo from the past so that our children can connect to the rich heritage of eastern North Carolina. Another idea is taking pictures around the community and around our school.  There is a large corn field across from our school.  What a wonderful place to see corn harvested this fall.  In fact, I am going tomorrow to make a picture of the corn at its early growth stage.  I will continue to follow the corn all summer so our students can see the stages of growth.  I will plan a trip to the agricultural museum and make some pictures for the children to see before we make the field trip to see all the equipment.  There is a unit in our Social Studes curriculum that will allow me to connect this unit to our current core. 

Task 1-Chapter 4-Teaching Social Studies-A Literacy-Based Approach by Schell and Fisher

This chapter will be helpful with the integreated unit because it helps us organize how the unit will fit together and how we will plan an effective instructional opportunities for our students.  Topics help students understand what they are learning.  Theme serve to expand topical teaching and provide opporuntiites to include multiple examples under a theme.  Thematic teaching allow teachers to integrate subjects across the curriuclum such as reading and writing, math and science.  This is not an easy process, however.  It will take thorough planning in every subject and across all subjects.  This process will allow the planning to be done in large chunks that allows the teacher to create and develop individual connected units.  This chapter will help organize how our team will plan and set-up our unit on farming.  Building the topics, themes, concepts and the big ideas will give the students an authentic experience.

Uncertainty for the Children of North Carolina

As our school year ends, we are in uncertain times in North Carolina.  If we do not secure the future for young children and the elderly in our state NOTHING ELSE WILL MATTER.  New roads, new building, new program will have no impact if we have not taken care of the people of North Carolina.  I absolutely love teaching.  The children in our county are amazing and to leave their future to uncertainty is unconscionable.  The budget has to be dealt with but doing it on the backs of our children and the elderly is outrageous.  As teachers, what can we do? How can we help those in Raleigh to see the faces of our children? I AM SURE if the powers that BE could see how far my friends have come this year, they would rethink changing how Pre-k is structured and the need for assistants in the classrooms.  Most children today do not come with the support system that I had at home, however, in the school setting they can find the support they need.  Race to the top!!!!! What top! Why?  What we need is to help children get in the race to finish high school with all the skills they will need to be good citizens of this  state. Childhood is a journey; not a race!!